The Egg and I – Today’s Family Devotion

The Egg and I

Bible Reading: Romans 3:24-26

We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. Romans 3:25

WANT TO ASTOUND your friends with your dynamic stage presence, manual dex­terity, and biblical insight-all at the same time? Try this.

You’ll need a few simple supplies: a raw egg, an empty tin can, a small piece of scrap wood, and a hammer. Practice your presentation ahead of time, then gather a group of friends around a table.

Place the scrap wood on the table and carefully set the egg on it. Lay the ham­mer on the table, but keep the can out of sight for now. Announce, ‘This egg repre­sents you and me. The Bible says that all of us have sinned, and God’s punishment for sin is death.” Pick up the hammer. “This hammer represents God’s punishment for our sin.” Lift the hammer menacingly above the egg and say, “What is going to hap­pen when I hit the egg with this hammer?”

Your friends will probably say something like, “Major splattage!” or “Scrambled egg” or “The yoke will be on us.” But before they start covering themselves in plastic wrap, bring out the empty tin can and cover the egg with it. Take a good, hard whack at the top of the can with the hammer. The loud thunk will probably make your friends jump. If all goes well, you’ll have one nastily dented can-but when you lift it up, you should find that fragile egg still intact.

Here’s where you impress your friends with your spiritual insight: “See, Jesus took the hit for us, just like the can took the hit for the defenseless egg. The Bible says that by dying on the cross in our place, Christ stepped between us and God’s judg­ment for our sin. We couldn’t survive God’s anger against our sin any more than an egg could live through a blow from the hammer. But we can escape God’s wrath. It’s a gift we receive simply by trusting Christ.”

As you and your friends look at the dented can, think about what it cost to for­give your sin. During the last hours of his life, the sinless Son of God was cursed, mocked, spit upon, and mercilessly beaten. A crown of thorns dug into his head. He was nailed to a wooden cross with spikes driven through his wrists and feet. The cross was dropped into the ground with a jolt, and for three hours Christ hung from those spikes as his life faded away.

That’s the price for your sin. That’s what you’re worth to God. You’re worth the humiliating, excruciating death of his only Son. He loves you so much that he al­lowed his Son to die.

REFLECT: How do you feel about yourself when you think about the loving sacrifice Jesus made for you? Are you humbled?

PRAY: Tell God how you are feeling right now.